Just you and me and her
by IThinkIJustGleedMyself
Summary: A/U - Ellie Hudson struggles to share her dad with his new girlfriend. Trouble is, he's falling for her quickly.
1. New feelings

**This idea has been stuck in my head for months so I eventually cracked and had to write it. It's a little longer than I anticipated but it's finally finished! I'm posting it in two halves, the second of which will be posted in a few days.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Ellie Hudson sits in her usual spot at the top of the stairs as she listens to her father and Uncle Kurt talk in the living room. This is something that she's done for a while now, well over a year - it was how she discovers what's going on in her father's life, or the things that he wouldn't tell her about.<p>

It's actually how she found out that the tooth fairy isn't real, but that is irrelevant.

She's a smart girl for a six year old; especially considering who her father is (She's heard a _lot_ of stories about him in High school from her Uncle Kurt) and she likes to be fully up to date on her father's life because, well, he is all she has. She's never met her mother, nor does she have any siblings, so Finn Hudson is really her best friend as well as her dad, and she wants to know that he's happy.

The conversations usually vary but stay around a main point. Tonight that point is a girl.

"You know Puckerman?" he asks Uncle Kurt, who no doubt is pulling a face at the mention of the man's name (Ellie is very aware of their mutual dislike of each other).

"That delinquent that you call a friend?" he scoffs back.

"Yeah," Finn says back quickly, "well, he's got this cousin, Rachel. I met her at his birthday party and she gave me her number. We're going out tomorrow night."

She sighs quietly to herself as she listens to the news. It doesn't matter when he has dates during the afternoon because she usually stays with their neighbors, the Scheuster's, who keep an eye on her for the few hours, but with dates at night, she has to stay over at her Uncle Kurt's house. Now, she loves her Uncle Kurt with all her heart, but there is only so much time a six year old can listen to him talking about the right moisturizers.

"So I'm guessing that Ellie is sleeping in my guest room then?" Her suspicions are confirmed.

"Would you mind…?"

She can imagine Uncle Kurt waving his hand casually, "no of course not. Just maybe tell me a week before next time. Blaine was going to come over."

Ellie finds herself smiling at this news since Blaine is just another big kid, and he plays with her and takes her to the park and _everything_. She doesn't know how he and Uncle Kurt know each other, but they are very close. Blaine adores her and she knows it.

"Dude, he won't mind. He loves Ellie."

"I know," Uncle Kurt sighs, "but we just had…_other_ plans."

She frowns, confused, as she crosses her legs and gets more comfortable. When the floorboards creek, she freezes instantly in hope that no one can hear her and clutches her _Cinderella_ story book to her chest tightly. It's always been her favorite and she feels safe when she has her old, tattered copy in her arms.

Thankfully, she isn't heard and the conversation flows without hesitation.

"So, where are you taking this girl then…this…?"

"Rachel," Finn repeats, "we're just going to get a coffee together. You know, get to know each other a little bit more."

"Oh, so this isn't going to be another one night stand?"

Finn sounds offended, "no!"

From the top of the stairs, Ellie wonders what her Uncle Kurt means by 'one night stand' but shrugs it off as her daddy talks about the lady that he will be taking out.

She's used to this by now; her father dating. It never amounts to anything. The longest one she can remember is a blonde girl called Quinn who he was with for just over a month. Apparently she didn't like that he had a daughter because she once had a baby girl that she gave up and it was too painful.

Though, after every girl, he knows that he can depend on Ellie at the end of the day.

They depend on each other, they always have.

And she knows that this girl is just going to be one in a long line.

She returns to their conversation, placing her head against the banister as she lets out a long yawn.

"Well," Uncle Kurt begins, "I should get going. I have work in the morning."

"Sure. It is getting pretty late," Finn agrees. She hears their movement and panics, beginning to stand up when she hears her father's booming voice in the hallway, "Ellie Grace Hudson, what are you doing up so late?"

"Daddy, I…" she looks down the stairs to see Uncle Kurt and Finn staring up at her, trying to hide their amused expressions.

He holds up a hand to silence her, "I don't want to hear your excuses. Just come down and say goodbye to Uncle Kurt before I put you back to bed."

Putting the book down on the top step, she rushes down and catches her Uncle in a tight hug. "Bye Uncle Kurt."

He kisses her cheek. "Goodbye sweetie. Be good for your father," he points his finger at her, "he's got a few more gray hairs since the last time I saw him and I suspect that's down to you."

She giggles as Finn throws his brother a look before running his hand through his hair. "Bye Kurt," he says grumpily, leading the man to the door. With a wave toward Ellie and a hug to Finn, he exits swiftly. Finn swirls around, eyeing his daughter, "you, little missy, were eavesdropping again."

"No I wasn't," she shakes her head as he gestures her up the stairs. Yawning once more, she asks, "Will you read me a story?"

Finn looks at his watch and sighs, "_one_ story, then straight to sleep." She nods eagerly, reaching for _Cinderella_. He reads it to her at least once a week and this week is no different.

As he carries her to her room, she leans into his neck. "Am I sleeping at Uncle Kurt's house tomorrow?" she mumbles.

"So you _were_ eavesdropping?" he laughs when she looks sheepish. "Yeah, you're staying there. I'll pick you up after school though and hey, maybe we can go get some ice cream before we go to Kurt's house."

"Can I have a chocolate sundae?" Her eyes light up.

"I'll see," he smiles.

* * *

><p>She doesn't think much about her father's date for a while because, well, she's never really had to before.<p>

But then she finds herself packing her overnight bag to go over to Uncle Kurt's house again within the same week. She packs her coloring book and her favorite dolls before skipping downstairs to meet her father at the door.

"You ready?" he holds out a hand for her, "Uncle Kurt is waiting for us."

She notices that he's a little more dressed up than usual. "Where are you going?" she questions, clinging onto her bag tightly as they walk to the car. Kurt beeps at them, a look on annoyance plastered across his face.

"I've got a date, Ellie," he tells her.

"With the same lady as before?" she peers up at him.

He smiles, "yup."

"Oh," her head drops down.

Finn picks up on this, stopping her in her tracks and kneeling down so that they are face to face. With her deep brown eyes trained on him, he starts, "hey, Ellie, it's just a date. You know that you're still my favorite girl, right?"

Her eyes meet his and she tries to judge the look in his face. His eyes are honest and his smile is genuine, the dimples appearing as usual. With a smile in return, she nods.

"Good," he ruffles her mousy brown hair and leads her to the car again. She climbs into the back seat while he gets in the passenger seat, next to his irritated brother, "hey Kurt."

"Hey Uncle Kurt!" she grins, buckling on her seatbelt.

"You seriously need to get a car, Finn," he frowns back, beginning down the road.

She leans forward to talk to him. "But me and daddy like walking to places. He says that cars are expensive," she says, adding, "And we've got _you_ to drive us around."

"I feel so honoured to be the Hudson's chauffeur," he says sarcastically, turning to Finn, "you're dressed up."

Finn sends him a look, "Well, yeah. I am going on a date."

"You've never made this much of an effort before," he comments.

Ellie notices how Finn's cheeks blush slightly and he is nervously wringing his hands together. He'd never been like this before a date before and she certainly doesn't like it. Still, she knows that it's only a matter of time until he stops seeing this girl.

Ten minutes later and the car slows in front of a foreign house. It looks like every other house on the street, just ordinary.

Finn spins around in his seat, leaning forward to kiss her forehead, "goodbye sweetheart. I'll pick you up tomorrow, okay? Behave for your Uncle." To Uncle Kurt, he says, "thanks man, for everything."

"Bye daddy," she mumbles, a little sadly.

"Have fun," Uncle Kurt tells him, the hint of a smirk on his face.

And then Finn is out of the car, hurrying up the small path to the front door. She watches as he knocks and a woman answers, but Uncle Kurt is already driving away and she only catches a glimpse of her dark brown hair and blinding smile before they step into the house.

* * *

><p>"Happy birthday!" she wakes up to see her father sitting on her bed, a huge grin dominating his face. Sitting up, she rubs her eyes before being hugged by Finn. "Seven years old already," he smiles, "it feels like only yesterday you were a little baby."<p>

She beams up at him, "but now I'm all grown up!"

"Well," he laughs, "more grown up than you were this time last year. You've still got a while to go before you're a woman." He then adds under his breath, "_thank God_."

"Did you get me a present?" she leans nearer him, looking for any evidence of a gift.

Finn chuckles, an affectionate smile crossing his face, "you've got lots of presents, but you've got to wait until the rest of the family is here." He starts to whisper, "there is one present that you can open now. A special one from me."

Her eyes sparkle with excitement as he puts a hand inside his breast pocket and pulls out a package, messily wrapped in bright pink and white striped paper. He hands it over quickly, wanting to see her reaction.

Within a few seconds, she's ripped off the paper and is holding a tiny gold locket. It is heart shaped, the curves soft and feminine, and the metal shines brightly in her hand.

"Daddy," she breathes, "it's so pretty. Thank you." Her arms fling around him as she hugs the man tightly, "will you put it on me? Then I can show it to Grammy and Grandpa and Uncle Kurt, and they'll all think that it's beautiful."

"It is beautiful," he agrees, "but not as much as you." His large fingers reach for the locket which he handles with great care as he clasps it around her neck. He presses a kiss to her hairline, "We should go out for breakfast. Then maybe it'll be edible."

She giggles, nodding to his plan. "This is the best birthday by far!"

* * *

><p>Well, she <em>thought<em> it was going to be the best birthday. Maybe it still was, but she managed to forget that her daddy is still seeing that woman…

"Daddy, you cheated!" she tells him as he steals the basketball from her after slyly ticking her belly. He shakes his head and aims for the hoop, though slightly missing. "See," she smiles smugly, "Karma. That's for cheating."

Now back with the ball, she dribbles it along the driveway, jumping a little as she throws it toward the basket herself. Due to her inferior height, it's hard to really beat her dad at basketball, but she's getting better every day and today, she manages to score.

"Yay!" she grins, bouncing up and down giddily while Finn reaches for the ball again.

"I'm gonna beat you," he says surely, trying to get past her. She uses her agility to her advantage and manages to steal the ball. "Oh, what!" he tries to act annoyed but just ends up laughing loudly, while she grins.

His phone starts to ring and she rolls her eyes, expecting it to be another call from work. She doesn't expect it to be _her_.

"Hello," he says quickly and she watches as a broad smile breaks onto his face, "oh hi Rach, how are you?" He begins to retreat into the kitchen before she can even react.

"So much for playing with me," she mutters, kicking the ball away.

She sees him through the window, talking animatedly on the phone to this 'Rach' Was that her real name or just a nickname? She sighs and sits down on the doorstep, kicking a bit of dirt around idly. She's always been used to having her daddy just for herself and that it how it's always going to be, or so she hopes.

* * *

><p>It's a few days before Halloween and Uncle Kurt has just dropped her off back home when she finds her daddy in the kitchen munching on a cookie. She finds it strange because her daddy cannot cook or bake. And her Grammy would throw a fit if she knew that he were eating unhealthily again, or passing bad habits down to her.<p>

So she frowns upon seeing his basically stuffing his face with the treats.

"Where'd you get cookies from daddy?" she questions, sitting on one of the window ledges.

He smiles, offering her one, "Rachel baked them. And she said that they're healthier than normal cookies and stuff."

Ellie cautiously takes a cookie, wanting to not like it because of who made it but, as she takes a bite into it, she can't _not_ like it. She instantly reaches for more before heading into the garden to play. Her father chuckles behind her, watching with amusement.

"There's banana bread too!" he shouts and she licks her lips in anticipation. She hopes that Rachel isn't good at anything else because her daddy might like her even more, and that thought is scary.

* * *

><p>She notices that Finn is nervous as they sit eating their take out and watching the TV. "What's wrong daddy?" she probes as he pushes the food around his plate.<p>

His eyes catch hers for a moment and she frowns at him. "Nothing Ellie." He rubs his chin idly for a second, "well, not nothing, but…never mind." He quickly returns to his food, staring at the TV with a strange intensity.

After dinner, she goes to play outside on the tree swing that she and Finn made, seeing how high she can go. Her hair blows wildly in the wind but she doesn't mind. She's never been one of those girls who care about how her hair looks or how anything looks. She much prefers getting dirty in the garden than doing "girly" things.

She ends up lying on the ground, staring up at the clouds.

The back door opens and she hears Finn calling her. In a few seconds, she's in the kitchen, "yes daddy?"

"I'm going out for a few hours," he tells her, "I've talked to Mr Schuester and he said that you can stay over there until I come back."

"Where are you going?" she asks curiously, following him to the lounge where he puts on his jacket and hands over hers.

He doesn't answer her question, instead says, "it's cold Ellie, put this on if you're playing out."

He gives her a hug before he swats her backside, pushing her in the direction of the back door, "now go on, go play. Love you. I'll be back to put you to bed."

Nodding, she puts on her jacket and runs over to the fence that separates her garden from Mr Schuester's. Hoisting herself up, she throws her legs over and drops down onto their well-kept lawn when she sees their son, George, running out of the back door. He's a year older than her, but they still get along pretty well.

"Hi Ellie," he grins when he finally gets over to her, "Do you wanna play cowboys and Indians?"

"Only if I can be the cowboy," she shoots back, beginning to chase him. It's pretty easy to catch up to him. She knows that she can run fast, a trait which her daddy says she gets from her mother, but she doesn't expect to gain on him so easily.

Or maybe it's because he slows down as they reach the front yard, his eyes trained on something in the distance.

"Who's that with your dad? I thought that you didn't have a mom," he frowns, turning back to her with a look of confusion on his freckled face.

"I don't," she says a little annoyed before looking to where he is pointing. Her dad _is_ in the distance; walking with the same brown haired woman whose house he went to – Rachel. Their backs are turned to the kids, but she hears them both laughing and she can see their hands intertwined as they disappear down the street.

Rachel is small, much smaller than her dad and she's wearing a skirt despite how cold it is. Ellie frowns when she leans closer to Finn, almost leaning against him.

Once they're gone, she returns to playing, though the image of the two together is still on her mind.

Finn picks her up from the Schuester's at a little past nine when she's curled up in the sofa, half asleep as Mr and Mrs Schuester watch the news.

He carries her back to the house, holding her against him safely from the wind and cold. When they get inside, she can hear soft singing from the kitchen and looks up at her father, "who's that?"

She _knows_ who that is. She just wants him to tell her.

He begins to stride upstairs and the voice become quieter and quieter. "That's the girl that I've been seeing." He slowly helps her change into her pyjamas before tucking her into bed.

"Will you read to me?" she asks.

Finn looks unsure, "I really should be getting back to Rachel." He tucks her hair behind her ear, "and you have school tomorrow. It's already past your bedtime."

She nods, trying to hide the disappointment in her face. He places a kiss to her forehead before reaching over and turning off her bedside lamp. She listens as his footsteps retreat down the hall and stairs.

She wishes that she wasn't tired so that she could go and sit at the top of the stairs and listen in on their conversation but, as soon as he head hits the pillow, she falls asleep.

* * *

><p>Ellie wakes up a little before seven and she sleepily makes her way down the stairs when she smells pancakes. She doesn't remember ever having pancakes for breakfast. As she steps into the kitchen, she freezes.<p>

It's _not_ her dad who's cooking.

The woman must have heard the door opening because she spins around with a smile on her face, "Finn, I –" She realizes who it is and her smile grows bigger, "hi, you must be Ellie. I've heard so much about you. I'm Rachel."

The little girls nods hesitantly, looking around for her dad. "Where's daddy?"

"He went for a shower," Rachel explains, eyeing her with interest. She takes the moment to observe the woman in return. She's pretty enough, though her nose is kinda big, but she has large brown eyes, much like her own. And her smile is almost blinding. Ellie watches as hesitation flashes in her eyes, "d-do you want some pancakes?"

She wants to say no, but her stomach instantly growls at the mention of food and she blushes, "yes please."

If possible, Rachel's smile gets even larger and she returns to the cooking.

Ellie narrows her eyes at the woman behind her back. What is she doing here so early? Especially when her daddy has to go to work soon anyway.

"What time did you get here?" she asks curiously, her voice perhaps a little too sweet while she sits at the table.

Rachel doesn't seem to notice, "um, last night at about six."

"No, I mean this morning," she explains.

The brunette frowns, "I didn't leave."

There's a long pause with the only sound being that of the pancakes frying.

"So where did you sleep? Daddy says that the couch is too uncomfortable to sleep on."

She sees panic flash across Rachel's face and her mouth hangs open uncertainly before the door opens and Finn walks in. Rachel breathes out a long sigh of relief, her eyes set on the man.

"Morning!" he smiles, arriving at Rachel first. As if he doesn't know that his daughter's in the room, he catches her in a deep kiss, distracting her from the cooking. When he pulls away, they both smile at each other in a way that makes Ellie feel sick. She can't wait until _this_ particular relationship ends.

Finn's eyes finally land on her, "oh, hey Ellie. Did you sleep okay?"

"Yes," she says a little grumpily, resting her chin on her cross arms as she leans across the table.

He laughs, "you still look a little tired."

"I'm fine," she mumbles, while still trying to figure out _why_ Rachel is there. When her dad had been dating Quinn, she'd come over to the house once and that was for a grand total of five minutes.

This woman has stayed the _entire night._

Ellie can never remember that happening.

Maybe she should have expected it because, well, it's well over two months since her daddy went for that first date and he brought Quinn home after just a month.

Still, it gives her an unsettling feeling.

* * *

><p>She clings onto the cart as Finn pushes it along the aisle. The contents of the it are mainly packet meals and she's managed to convince Finn to get her a few things, but it's really their usual weekly groceries.<p>

"Ellie, can you go and get some milk?" he asks, pointing toward the end of the aisle. She nods and jumps from the trolley before manoeuvring herself through the sea of adults to get to it.

When she returns, she almost drops the two cartons of milk from shock of seeing Rachel next to her dad. They're talking and laughing and, at one point, she reaches out and holds onto his arm longer than Ellie thinks necessary.

After placing the milk into her cart, she curiously peers into the basket that Rachel has hanging off her arm and frowns at the sight of lots of fruit and vegetables. They aren't exactly her favorite foods.

Rachel finally notices her and does that creepy adult smiling once more. "Hey Ellie, how are you?"

"Good," she replies primly, "my daddy took me to his work today because my school was closed." She emphasises the 'my daddy' in hope that Rachel will get the hint.

"Oh," she frowns, "what happened at your school?"

"Most of the teachers got the flu," Finn explains, "but we had fun, didn't we squirt?" He ruffles Ellie's hair and she grins, nodding quickly.

"Well I'm glad," Rachel smiles, "I should get going. Let you two get on with your shopping."

Finn smiles, leaning in for a kiss, "Are we still on for tomorrow night?"

With her own shy smile, Rachel nods, "I can't wait to see what you're going to surprise me with."

He grins, "You'll love it."

They go in for another kiss and Ellie turns away with a disgusted look on her face. She does not want to get used to seeing her daddy doing _that_.

Rachel waves goodbye and begins to leave, all the time Finn's eyes on her. Ellie frowns at the goofy look on his face and, when he doesn't stop staring at the retreating girl, she pushes him in the opposite direction. "Come on daddy," she says. Being half his size, it's difficult to push him but she manages.

* * *

><p>It starts to become a normal occurrence that she goes to her Uncle Kurt's or stays over at the Schuester's for the day.<p>

And each time, Finn returns with that same smile. She's used to her father having dates at least three times a week. And then there are the phone calls. It seems that Rachel only ever calls when she and her daddy are doing something together and he _always_ answers without fail. As soon as he hears the familiar ringing, he hurries over to the phone.

Like today for instance…

Finn sits with her at the dining room table, helping with her math homework. Having a teacher as a dad helps a lot, especially since it's not her best subject. She much prefers English and sometimes even writes her own stories.

But, half way through explaining the fractions, the house phone rings and she knows that it's Rachel because nobody else would be calling them on a Saturday afternoon. Well, maybe Uncle Kurt but he's away on vacation with Blaine.

"Hey Rach," Finn says as soon as he picks up the phone.

Ellie sighs loudly and goes back to staring at her homework blankly.

"Yeah, I'm great," he goes on, "no I'm not doing anything."

He leans against the counter and she rolls her eyes as _that_ smile begins to creep onto his face. "Ellie's here," he explains and she wonders what Rachel had said to him, "no, come on over. We love having you here."

_You_ love having her here, she corrects in her mind.

"Right, see you soon," he ends the conversation and then turns to Ellie, "Rachel's coming over."

"I know," she says dryly, "you just told her to." Her eyes never meet his and she pretends to be interested in her work.

Finn doesn't notice this. To be honest, she doesn't think he'd notice a fire if Rachel were in the same room.

She has no idea how that woman has cast such a spell over her daddy, but she's determined to stop it. After all, it's only been three months and they talk to each other at least once every day.

Ellie doesn't know how you sabotage a relationship, but she can always ask an adult, a trustworthy adult.

* * *

><p>Uncle Kurt laughs as she tell him her worries, "Ellie, sweetie, let me explain." He sits down beside her on the bed in his guest room. Finn is on yet another date and she'd found herself at her Uncle's for the second night in a row, "your dad is in what is called the 'honeymoon stage' of dating. That's why he's so smitten. In a few weeks, everything will start to calm down and, knowing your father, he'll probably break up with her. He's never really been one for long relationships."<p>

"But you should see them together Uncle Kurt," she cries out, seriously on the verge of tears, "they're always kissing and touching and it's gross."

"Well, yes," he smiles, "that's what you do in a relationship."

She shakes her head, "they act as if I'm not even there."

"You know that your dad has trouble concentration on more than one thing," he pats her shoulder sympathetically. "He loves _you_ more than anyone else."

"Then why is he spending so much time with her?" she questions through tearful eyes.

Uncle Kurt sighs, "Ellie, I think that you're a little too young to understand but you're dad does get lonely. And, other than you, he doesn't really have anyone else."

"But why can't he just have _me_?" she folds her arms. She knows that it's selfish, but she doesn't care. He's _her_ daddy.

"Because," Uncle Kurt wraps his arm around her, "one day when you're all grown up, then who's going to be there for your daddy?" She stay silent and Uncle Kurt carries on, "and I'm not saying that this woman is right for him, but he'll eventually find the right person."

She lets the tears flow now, leaning against Uncle Kurt sadly.

Uncle Kurt peers down at her and then gives her shoulder a soft squeeze before rubbing her arm in a comforting manner, "oh Ellie, sweetie, everything will be fine. And, in the meantime, I'm sure that you can deal with Rachel. She can't be all that bad, right?"

She sighs, "She's not bad. She's just…_strange_."

"How so?" he smirks.

"Well," she says, unable to think of anything to back up her statement, "she…ermm, I- she…oh, she doesn't eat meat and she talks to me about animals rights all the time!"

Uncle Kurt laughs, "That's not strange. Lots of people don't eat meat."

"No, but she eats vegetables, like, all the time and _nobody_ likes vegetables."

He shakes his head as he chuckles, tapping her nose affectionately, "no, _you_ don't like them. I've experienced your tantrums."

"How can daddy like her if she doesn't even eat meat? He loves meat."

"You know, relationships sometimes work better if you don't like the same things," Uncle Kurt says, "ever heard of the saying opposites attract?"

She frowns and shakes her head no.

"Well, you have now," he smiles, "and maybe that's why your dad has kept Rachel around for longer than usual."

"It's almost been four months," she says. "How much longer do you think it'll last?"

"Don't worry," Uncle Kurt replies, "honeymoon phase, remember? I bet that it'll be over before Christmas and then everything will be back to normal."

"You think so?"

"I know so," he says, "now come on. I've kept you up way past your bedtime." He places a kiss to her forehead, "goodnight Ellie."

"Night Uncle Kurt and thank you. You won't tell daddy what I said, right?"

"Of course not," Uncle Kurt tells her, "it's our little secret." He winks at her before slowly leaving the room.

She sighs, turning over in bed. At least if her daddy is acting different, she knows that she can count on Uncle Kurt to take her side.

* * *

><p>"We should make some cookies," she tells her daddy that morning as she eats her bowl of cheerios. He sips at her coffee, but smiles down toward her when she suggests it. "Christmas cookies," she adds, "We can decorate them with snowflakes and reindeer and stuff."<p>

"Later," he says, "we've got to go and get the tree first. Then we can come back and decorate it."

"Ooh," she grins. Christmas has always been her and her daddy's favorite holiday, and decorating the tree is one of their many cherished activities. "Can we go now?" she squeals.

He laughs, "Finish your breakfast first." He takes a bite of his own toast before adding, "oh, Rachel's coming with us, too."

Ellie's face falls and she holds back a groan, remembering Uncle Kurt's advice. It is only a matter of time until she can say goodbye to Rachel forever.

So an hour later, she finds herself trailing behind Finn and Rachel at the tree lot. Rachel is talking about one of her friends, waving her arms about animatedly while Finn's laughs along at every chance he gets. They haven't even looked at a tree yet.

She takes it upon herself to find the perfect one, slowly walking away from the couple when she spies some large Christmas trees. She has always liked the tall one because she can get more decorations on.

As she continues down the row, the two adults move completely out of her sight. Not that she minds, she actually prefers this. She runs her fingers across the thick branches of a particular tree, deciding that it isn't good enough for her daddy.

The icy winds blow through her hair and she pulls her scarf tighter around her neck before continuing to check each tree. It's so cold that she can see her breath blowing in front of her. She looks the next tree up and down, knowing that it just isn't perfect enough to be in their house.

Her tiny feet plough on through the light sprinkling of snow as she turns down more and more trees.

Then she spots it.

But there's already a family close to it. Only a few trees away. With a boost of sudden energy, she runs as fast as her small legs will carry her to the tree where she wraps her arms around it tightly. "It's perfect!" she says to herself, though loud enough for the family to hear. She isn't going to tell them to back off, but she can hint at it.

Though, they don't appear to be concerned about the tree.

"Are you lost?" the blonde mother asks with concern.

She frowns at her for a response, looking around the lot for her daddy and her stomach sinks when she realizes that he's nowhere to be found. She can't lose her daddy! Her breathing slowly becomes more erratic as she realizes that she stupidly walked away from him, without even bothering to tell him.

She doesn't even know why she couldn't have just said a few words. It's not like Rachel being there would have made a difference. He may have even started looking himself.

"I-I don't know," she tells the woman, searching all around in hope that she'll see her daddy. He's six foot three. How can she not see him?

"What do your mommy and daddy look like?" the father questions, leaning down so that he's facing her, "we'll help you to find them."

Ellie is at a complete loss for words. She's never done this before because, well, her daddy's always been by her side. Not by another girl's. But today he's been by Rachel's…

Hot tears ran down her cheeks as she becomes more scared than ever before.

"_Ellie_!"

Her ears prick up at the sound of her name being called and she doesn't care less that it's _her_ who's saying it because at least Rachel knows where her daddy is.

"_Ellie, where are you?"_

"Is that your mommy?" the mother looks at her again, glancing around for the source of the voice. She doesn't have time to reply as she sees a slightly crazy looking Rachel appear round the corner. Despite herself, she hurries toward the woman, letting herself fall into her outstretched arms.

Rachel clings onto her tightly lifting her up, "are you okay?" She keeps asking her questions, "we were so worried about you. Don't ever run off again." As the older woman hugs her tightly to her chest, Ellie can't help but think how nice it feels. She quickly wipes the thought from her head. This is Rachel. She'll be gone in a few weeks: her Uncle Kurt had said so.

But still, she does _almost_ enjoy it.

"Where's daddy?" she asks desperately, sniffling quietly.

"Looking for you," Rachel replies, looking close to tears herself. Ellie quickly feels guilty at the fact that she's worried her father.

She notices the family slowly returning to their activities before she'd caught their attention. "Thank you!" she calls after them.

"That's quite alright," the woman smiles, "just try not to go running from your mom and dad again, okay sweetie?" And, with a smile, she turns in the opposite direction.

Ellie takes a moment to absorb what she had said. Her mom and dad. That woman thought that _Rachel_ was her mom. Rachel, of course, had missed it as she was fussing over her, but now it just keeps replaying through her mind.

Rachel is _not_ her mom. She wants to go and tell the woman exactly that, but she is still locked in Rachel's death grip. And she's sort of pressed up against her chest. The only woman she remembers getting a hug like this from is her Grammy and yet it's still different.

She lets Rachel carry her because she assumes that they're going in the direction toward her daddy. "Finn!" she hears the woman call and looks up instantly with frantic eyes before they stop on Finn in the far distance. He runs over in long strides and catches both Ellie and Rachel in his embrace.

"I thought that someone had taken you," he confesses, peppering her face with kisses. He looks her dead in the eye and says, "Don't you ever, _ever_ scare me like that again."

"I'm sorry," she mumbles into his chest, "I was just looking for the perfect tree."

She feels him laugh into his hair and she's suddenly in his arms again. That is where she belongs. "Did you find it?" he asks, his eyes watery.

A smile appears on her face and she nods. "It's right over there," she points in the direction where she's just came from.

"Come on then," Finn hoists her up a little more, refusing to put her on the floor as if scared that she'll run off again.

She couldn't be happier until she sees Finn slip his other arm around Rachel's shoulders, pulling her against his side. For now, she can just hope that it all ends soon.

Finn carries the tree home over his shoulder while she skips ahead, contemplating whether to put a star or angel on the top of the tree this year.

When they get into the warmth of the house, Finn sets up the tree while Rachel and Ellie go to get the decorations from the basement. "What does your Christmas tree look like?" she asks Rachel, who has just finish a ten minute rant on the benefits of organic to regular food.

The brunette smiles softly, "I don't have a Christmas tree."

"Why?" she frowns, "do you not like Christmas? Because it's _my_ favorite holiday. And daddy's!"

"Well," Rachel begins, "I'm Jewish so I don't celebrate it. I celebrate Hanukkah instead."

Ellie stares at her like she had three heads, "so you've never decorated a Christmas tree before?" She shakes her head as an answer, her lips pursed tightly together. "And Santa Clause has never brought you presents?" Hiding a grin, she again shakes her head no. Ellie feels sorry for her because Christmas is awesome and Rachel's never had one before. It still doesn't take away from the fact that she doesn't like her, but she can still pity her.

"Anyway," the woman picks up the boxes that they've gathered, "why don't we go and liven this house up a little bit?"

Ellie can't exactly say no to that and follows her eagerly.

"Maybe we can bake some cookies afterwards," Rachel adds and it takes every ounce of power in Ellie not to smile at her. How did she know what she likes to do at Christmas? Her daddy must have told her. That's the only possible reason.

* * *

><p>This can't be happening! No way! Does he just want to make her upset? She's convinced that the whole world is conspiring against her.<p>

Rachel is spending Christmas with them.

Well, she hadn't been there for the opening of presents in the morning but, at around one when she's sitting with her Grampa and watching _The lion king, _she hears the doorbell go and she just knows that it's Rachel. She always comes at the worst times. Is she even aware that it's Christmas today?

So when her daddy answers and she hears her high voice, she slumps down in her seat. What could she possibly want now?

"Thanks for coming," Finn says and Ellie wonders why her dad would possibly invite her over. The kitchen door is open and she can make out her Uncle Kurt, watching Finn and Rachel from where he stands. For a moment, his eyes fall down to Ellie, who pulls a face.

"I'm happy to come," Rachel replies, "any chance to spend time with you and Ellie. I brought some of my vegan casserole. The one that you liked."

As she turns to look at the pair, she sees Finn take the casserole from her, then take hold of Rachel's hand, "come on, I want you to meet my mom." They disappear into the kitchen a few seconds later and, just as quickly, Uncle Kurt walks out, a thoughtful expression on his face.

She goes to help him set the table, watching him carefully. "What are you thinking about?" she frowns.

He shakes his head slightly, before smiling down at her, "it's just…she looks very familiar. I don't know where I recognize her from." Ellie hears laughing from the kitchen and her frown only deepens. "Cheer up," Uncle Kurt pats her head.

"But you're still on my side about the whole thing right?"

"What?" he chuckles.

She leans closer, whispering, "About the _Rachel_ thing. You're still on my side?"

"I wasn't aware that we had sides," he says, straightening out the place mats.

"Uncle Kurt!" she stomps her foot.

"You have my unwavering support," he replies, not even casting a glance in her direction.

Finn walks out of the kitchen, holding a bowl of vegetables, with Rachel and Carole in tow, the two already in a conversation. Meanwhile, Uncle Kurt is staring at Rachel with a blank expression.

She doesn't notice at first though her eyes slowly fall on him. "You must be Finn's brother," she smiles.

"Kurt," he holds out his hand.

She shakes it quickly, "Rachel."

"Rachel? I feel like I've seen you before…" he says, raising an eyebrow curiously and she cautiously nods at the tone of his voice. "Where do I know you from?" he says more to himself before shaking the thought from his mind and finishing the table. Rachel doesn't hear him as she's now being introduced to Burt, who merely winks at Finn.

"Ellie darling," her Grammy takes hold of her hand, "come and help me bring the food onto the table."

Soon enough, the small family is sat around the dining table, which is brimming with lots of delicious food courtesy of her Grammy and Uncle Kurt. They do this every year. Finn offers the space while the other two offer the food. And normally it's Burt who gets hold of the alcohol, but that doesn't affect Ellie at all.

She's sat in between Uncle Kurt and Finn, again as usual. Just as the last bowl of food hits the table, she and Finn dive in, filling their plates with whatever they can get their hands on. She hears Rachel laughing softly to herself at the sight and blushes, as does Finn. "That was cute," she whispers to the man, her eyes trained on him.

"So Rachel, what do you do for a living?" her Grampa asks through a mouthful of ham.

Rachel smiles up at him. "Well," she starts, "I'm an actress."

"An actress?" he seems sceptical, but she doesn't really appear to notice.

"I don't remember seeing you in anything," Uncle Kurt says, his voice a little harsh.

She quickly backpedals. "Oh, not a television actress. I'm on Broadway."

Ellie watches as Uncle Kurt's eyes grow wide with excitement and she doesn't quite understand. "Broadway?" he breathes.

"What's Broadway?" Ellie questions.

"It's like heaven!" he says dramatically and Rachel stifles a giggle.

"I'm guessing that you're a fan?" she grins when he nods vigorously.

"I've been a huge fan since as long as I could remember," he explains, "though unfortunately the last thing I saw was a revival of _Beauty and the beast_."

Rachel stops, an eager smile on her face, "was a year ago?"

"Yes," he says, "did you see it too?"

She grins, wiggling in her seat as if about to explode from excitement. "I was Belle in that!"

Kurt's mouth drops open. "Oh my God! I remember now! That's where I know you from. You're Rachel _Berry_, aren't you?" She nods, clearly happy at being finally recognized, "oh, you were absolutely magnificent in that. You made me cry multiple times."

"Thank you," she says graciously, but it's clearly that she's loving the compliments. "What other shows have you seen?"

"I've seen practically every show there is to see. Sadly, I haven't been for a while… I'd love to go again, but it's hard to find volunteers to go with me. My boyfriend Blaine has put up with more than his fair share of shows and Finn fell asleep through one so."

At this, Finn blushes an even deeper shade than before, "shut up man."

Rachel peers at Kurt curiously, "you have a boyfriend?"

The whole table freezes, even Ellie. If she knows anything about her family, it's that they will not let anyone upset Uncle Kurt about his sexuality. She sees her Grampa's stony expression and has a feeling that this may be the end of Rachel for good. Even Finn will stand up for Kurt and she's heard all of the stories of how he was in High School.

"Yes," Uncle Kurt frowns, "is that a problem?"

All eyes are on Rachel now, but as an actress, she can handle the attention. "Certainly not," she replies honest;y, "I was raised by my two gay fathers."

The tension suddenly disappears, replaced by surprise. "Really?" Uncle Kurt asks.

Rachel finishes a spoonful of the vegetable soup she's eating. "Oh yes," her eyes light up, "they're my first and biggest fans. I honestly don't know where I'd be without them. They've been so supportive of my dream even when _I_ doubted it."

"They sound like good men," Carole smiles.

"They are," Rachel agrees proudly, "they're amazing fathers." She glances to Kurt again, "anyway, you were talking about how you'd like to go through more shows?"

After he's over the initial shock of learning of her upbringing, he nods, "yes, I don't really have anyone to go with and then there's finding time off work and the money."

Rachel nods along with him. "Well," she tries to act casual though it doesn't work, "I could always get you tickets to see my latest show. We don't open until next month but I'm sure it'll be spectacular when we do perform."

"Oh, what show is it?"

"Wicked!" she claps her hands together excitedly. Kurt joins in almost instantly.

"What part do you play?" he asks quickly, unable to hide his grin. Ellie watches the scene of bonding in defeat.

Finn answers before Rachel can. "She's playing that green girl. That… that Elf- what's her name, Rach?"

"Elphaba?" Uncle Kurt asks, looking on the verge of passing out. "That's amazing! You must be very talented.

"Well, I can't argue with that," Rachel agrees.

Rachel and Uncle Kurt share a friendly smile, and Ellie knows that he is no longer on her side. In fact, her side is feeling pretty lonely right now.

That night when her Uncle Kurt has left, along with her Grammy and Grampa, she sits at the top of the stairs listening to Finn and Rachel.

"Did you have a good Christmas?" he asks her.

"For my first Christmas, I think it went beyond expectations," she replies, "do you think that your family liked me?" She can hear the insecurities in Rachel's voice.

"Are you kidding me?" he sounds shocked, "they seriously loved you. You and Kurt were acting like best friends."

She giggles, "I like Kurt. Actually, I really like him. He's very much like me." She yawns a few seconds later, "thank you for today, Finn."

There's a pause and Ellie wonders what they're doing. Eventually, Finn speaks again, "I should thank you. Today was probably my favorite Christmas ever. I mean, I have you, right? How can that not be anything less than perfect?"

She sighs contently, "I love you Finn." Her voice is quiet, but Ellie manages to hear it.

"I love you too."

Her breath hitches when she hears him say it back. This isn't right. Uncle Kurt said that it would be over by Christmas. If anything, they're _better_ than before.

She stands up slowly, tiptoeing down the hallway to her room where she doesn't have to listen to them anymore. Just as she gets back into the bed, she hears the two making their way up the stairs. _Of course_ Rachel is staying tonight.

They stop outside her room. "Let me just make sure that Ellie's asleep," he tells her, "and then I'll come and join you."

When the door clicks open, she instantly closes her eyes and pretends to be asleep. The floorboards creak beneath his weight as he arrives at her bed. She feels him gently stroke her cheek before placing a kiss to her forehead.

"Merry Christmas darling," he whispers, "I love you."

His words don't feel as special as before.

* * *

><p>This idea has been stuck in my head for months so I eventually cracked and had to write it. It's a little longer than I anticipated but it's finally finished! I'm posting it in two halves, the second of which will be posted in a few days.<p>

Enjoy!


	2. Sharing

**Wow! I was so amazed with the response to this story. I wasn't expecting so many people to review, favourite and alert. Thank you!**

**I hope that the second half is as good as the first.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>She thinks that she might just about cry. How dare she ruin this!<p>

It's _their_ thing; it always has been and it always will be. So why is he bringing her? Ellie doesn't say a word on the walk to the bowling alley because she's still angry. No, she's furious.

Ever since she was little, they've come here weekly without fail. _Just_ the two of them. It's their family thing, as her daddy has said so himself many times. That's what he'd told her when she wanted to invite a friend from school. "It's just for me and my favorite girl," he'd smiled, ruffling her hair.

So what does this mean? Is she not his favourite girl anymore?

She glances towards Rachel who is holding his hand, swinging it gently back and forth. She holds his other hand, her small one almost completely covered by his large fingers.

"Hey, are you alright Ellie?" Finn smiles down at her, "I can normally never keep you quiet when we go bowling."

"I'm fine daddy," she replies, looking at the ground. She doesn't notice the look that the two adults share afterwards.

He frowns, before an idea pops inside his head. He nudges the girl slightly, "come on, we're almost there. I'll race you."

She grins now, running off before he says go.

"Hey, you're cheating!" he shouts after her, his longer legs making it easier to catch up.

"No," she corrects, "I'm _winning_."

Finn laughs, scooping her up in his arms before she reached the door. "Now you're not," he says smugly.

She playfully hits his chest and then crosses her arms, "that's not fair."

"Oh," he raises an eyebrow, "but you going before I say so is?"

"Yes!"

"Rachel?" he turns to the woman for backup.

She merely shrugs, "your height gives you an unfair advantage anyway." Ellie sticks her tongue out at him when his face falls at her words.

"See daddy?" she says stubbornly, "so _I_ win."

"Okay, okay," he holds his hands up in defeat, "now let's go in."

It turns out that Rachel is really, _really_ bad at bowling. Ellie doesn't even bother to stifle her laughs when most of her attempts end with the ball in the gutter. And Finn is laughing right alongside her.

Finally, it is Rachel's last turn and she gives out a small huff as she takes the ball.

"Rach, c'mere," Finn motions, "let me help you." He wraps his arms around her as he tries to line up the ball. "You have a natural curve when you throw it, so aim a little to the left." His hands pull away, lingering on her waist for a while.

"Okay," she nods, her eyes stuck on the pins. They watch as she bowls it, Rachel covering her eyes instantly so that she can't see what happens.

There's a tense moment when it almost goes toward the gutter, but it curves quickly afterwards and goes straight for the middle, knocking down the majority of the pins. Ellie watches in disbelief as the last one wobbles uncertainly before toppling over.

"No way," she says to herself. Is this the same woman that she's just watched throw the ball into the _wrong lane_?

"You did it!" Finn jumps up from the seat and pulls a slightly bouncy Rachel into his arms. He lifts her up, holding her close to his chest as they stare into each other's eyes. Finally, she leans forward for a kiss.

Ellie gags, "oh God." She picks up her grape slushee and takes a few sips. Looking down, she notices that her shoelace is untied and slowly makes her way over to Finn. "Daddy, can you tie my sho-" She doesn't get a chance to finish the sentence as she trips up on said shoelace and the slushee in her hand spills all over Rachel. Ellie herself takes a tumble to the floor, banging her knee against the wood.

Glancing up, she sees her father split between the two girls, trying to figure out who needs his help the most. Rachel is kind of stood there with a shocked expression, so he quickly picks up Ellie and gently rubs her knee. He picks her up before standing next to Rachel, whose wiping the purple ice from her face.

"Rach, I'm so sorry," he panics, "Are you okay?"

"It's fine. It was an accident," she says, but certainly doesn't sound fine. Ellie feels guilty as she notices her new top, which she'd bragged about for a good five minutes on the way here, has got most of the damage. She can already see the purple stain setting in and looks away, ashamed.

Rachel's smile falters, "I'm just going to go to the bathroom to clean up a little."

Worry is swimming through Finn's brown eyes. "Rache-"

"I'm fine," she repeats, "I'll be five minutes."

As soon as she's gone, Finn sits Ellie down on the seat, checking out her knee. "Does it hurt sweetheart?"

She shakes her head. It's really just a dull ache. "Daddy, I didn't mean to spill that on Rachel. I-I tripped." Even if she doesn't like Rachel, it doesn't mean that _that_ should have happened to her. Maybe she won't want to come bowling with them again. This may be a blessing in disguise.

"I know," he pulls her into a tight hug, quickly glancing over to the bathroom door to see if Rachel has come out yet. He begins to tie her shoelace. "Before there are any more accidents," he laughs nervously to himself.

It's more like fifteen minutes later when Rachel finally re-emerges. Finn lets out a low whistle, eyeing her up with what only can be described as hunger. Ellie even notices that he licks his lips. She goes to look at Rachel herself, though she doesn't understand what the big deal is.

She's taken off her shirt, leaving on a small tank top, one that keeps riding up and revealing a small patch of skin on her stomach. Her hair, which was dripping with slushee, has presumably been rinsed out and dried and is now flowing down her back and she's reapplied her make-up.

Ellie frowns at the way that Finn is looking at her.

"Hey," she says quietly when she arrives back at their lane, sweeping a hand through her hair, "do I look alright?"

"Alright?" Finn questions with shock. "You look…" he gives Ellie a side glance before saying, "really pretty."

Rachel laughs before sitting down next to Ellie on the bench. "How's your knee?" she asks with concern.

"It's just a little sore," she looks down guiltily, wishing that she didn't feel so bad for doing that to Rachel. "I'm sorry for…not being more careful."

She shakes her head instantly, "don't worry about it. I've had worse."

She isn't given a chance to dwell on that as Finn pats his belly and says, "who's hungry then?"

* * *

><p>Rachel stays over that night. Well, really it's the third night in a row. And Ellie realizes that the house is starting to smell like her, all flowery and <em>girly<em>. She went into her daddy's bedroom yesterday and was almost suffocated by the sweet smell. This is the room that used to smell of sweaty socks and old sandwiches.

To make things worse, the waiter at the restaurant they went to called Rachel her mom. That is the second time it's happened and she is annoyed. Why does everyone think that Rachel is her mom? As she thinks about it, she realizes that it's going to happen more and more. She's never met her mom, nor does she think she ever will but she's not about to let Rachel take her place.

She's too…Rachel.

For instance, she's a _nightmare_ about cleanliness. Everything suddenly has a place. She even tries to get Ellie to join in with the cleaning, but she quickly runs out to the garden with the excuse of being "too warm inside".

The funny thing is Finn doesn't seem to mind at all. She remembers when they used to make fun about how girly and clean Uncle Kurt's house was but now, theirs is even worse.

She tries to test Rachel's patience with it all: leaving all her toys out; not bothering to do any of the dishes; and maybe, one or twice, purposefully getting muddy footprints throughout the entire house, but the woman has yet to crack.

To make things worse, her daddy drops a bombshell on her that night.

Rachel is in the kitchen making some dinner when he ushers her over for a talk.

"You're going where?" she demands to know.

"Shush," he tries to calm her, hugging her a little tighter, "I'm going to Lima for a few days with Rachel."

Her head is spinning, "why? What is there in Lima that there isn't here?" And then she asks the most important question, "and why aren't you taking _me_?"

He looks guilty for a second. "Ellie, baby, I'm going to be gone for four days and you get to stay with you Uncle Kurt."

"But I want to stay with you!" she whines.

With a sigh, he says, "you've got school. I can't let you miss that."

"You have work," she shoots back.

"They're giving me the week off," he explains, "and I'll be back before you know it. You'll be too busy having lots of fun."

She huffs, hoping that he can't see how much she wants to cry. "Why is Rachel going with you?"

"She's, um…" he clears his throat, "I'm meeting her dads."

Ellie freezes, "Y-you are?"

He nods, hesitant, "they invited us up to go this week, but I told them that you have school and they couldn't get any other time off from their work, so me and Rachel are going to go up instead and you can come the next time."

He's lying. He has to be.

This is Rachel: she's trying to steal her daddy away from her and, even worst, she's succeeding. And she can do even more damage while she's alone with him for four whole days. What is she going to do?

"It's not fair," she says more to herself.

Just as he opens his mouth to speak, Rachel's voice calls through the slightly ajar door. "Dinner's ready!"

She stares at him briefly. "I'm not staying at Uncle Kurt's!" And then she spins on her heel into the dining room, hearing Finn's exasperated sigh in the distance.

* * *

><p>She doesn't get to argue her point after that as, every time she brings it up, Finn hushes her. Rachel at least has the decency to look sad about not taking her with them, but she knows that it's just an act. It's probably all her idea.<p>

In the morning, after Rachel arrives, she slips away from the table at breakfast to get her things. Upon seeing Rachel's travelling case, she feels a tug of curiosity and somehow ends up looking through it. She can't even stop herself, but she doesn't want to, either.

Every few seconds she looks to the closed door in hope that nobody is coming through them. All she hears is Rachel's loud laughs.

Her small fingers diligently search through the layers of clothes, finding other things among them. Nothing is really of any use to her, especially since she can't break them up with any of Rachel's things.

She frowns when she finds a packet of pills at the bottom of the case. What could Rachel need them for? Is she sick? Some of them have already been taken. Peering closely, she notices that the days of the week are written above each of the individual pills, and the one for that day hasn't been taken.

Suddenly an idea pops into her head. Rachel obviously needs the pills. If she takes them, then she and Finn will _have_ to come back from Lima.

With a wicked grin, she places them in her front pocket and zips up the case once more, returning it to how it was previously placed.

In perfect timing, Finn walks out of the kitchen just as she takes a step back from it and she instantly pretends that she is looking for her coat in the hall.

"Hey squirt," he smiles, "We'll be going in a few minutes. We'll drop you off at school first, so we'll say goodbye there."

She only nods, putting on her coat and running upstairs to get her school bag.

When she returns to the hall again, she sees Finn and Rachel in the middle of a kiss. Rachel's wearing a red raincoat, a white beret perched on her head. She makes a point to avoid the woman's gaze and opens the front door before heading down the garden path. A cab is already waiting outside and she climbs into the back. Finn and Rachel follow behind, Finn carrying both of their cases while she locks the front door.

Soon she finds herself between the two of them in an uncomfortable car ride.

Rachel is checking through her handbag, making sure that she has all the appropriate things. "Do you have your ticket?" she asks Finn for the hundredth time.

"Yes," he sighs, "just calm down Rach. Everything's fine. Stop panicking."

She nods, though she looks a little tenser afterwards. Ellie thinks that maybe those pills make her less crazy and almost regrets taking them.

"I expect you to behave for Uncle Kurt," Finn tells her.

"Yes daddy," she replied in a monotonous tone, clutching her bag a little tighter.

It's a little awkward as they say goodbye. Finn, of course, spends most of the time hugging her and peppering her face with kisses. She also receives a tight hug from Rachel who tells her that she's sorry she can't come with them. She must be a good actress because Ellie almost believes her.

* * *

><p>"Why have you been so miserable?" Blaine asks her on the third night of staying at Uncle Kurt's.<p>

She sighs, pushing a piece of broccoli around her plate. "Nothing."

He doesn't take her simple answer, "you miss your dad, right?"

_If only he knew_ she thinks, but silently nods.

"Hey, don't worry," Blaine grins, "He'll be back tomorrow and then you can spend all your time with him."

Her frown is deeper than ever because she is sure that, when her daddy gets back, he'll be spending all his time with Rachel despite having spent the majority of the week alone with her. Her plan to make them come back hasn't even worked. The pills mustn't have been important enough for anything because Rachel seemed to be doing just fine without them.

Ellie had thrown them away as soon as she got into Uncle Kurt's home.

She sighs once more and tries to eat something, though she isn't in the least hungry.

"Ellie!" Uncle Kurt calls, walking into the room, "you dad's on the phone."

Her mood lifts slightly and she runs toward her Uncle, grabbing the phone off him. Her daddy has been calling every night at around the same time to talk to her and. At least she knows that he hadn't completely forgotten her.

"Hi daddy!" she says breathlessly.

"Hey baby," he replies, "How are you?"

She returns to her seat, "I'm okay. Blaine took me to the park today."

"He did," he sounds interested, "what did you play on?"

"Everything," she smiles absently, "and then he bought me two snow cones. _Two_!"

Finn laughs on the other end, "that's great sweetie." He pauses, clearing his throat.

"Are you alright daddy?" she frowns.

"Ellie, listen. My stay is gonna be a little longer than expected."

Her mouth runs dry. "What?"

"It's only a couple more days," he says quickly, "and when we get back we can do anything you want."

She doesn't reply, she can't find any words. Why does he want to stay for longer? Does he know that she misses him? Tears are prickling in her eyes.

"Ellie?" he questions.

"I-I should go," she says, "it's almost time for bed and Uncle Kurt will get angry if I don't go soon."

"Ellie, listen, I'll be back on Saturday morning. I promise."

She sighs, wiping at her eyes. "Okay."

"Is that alright?" he asks.

No, no it isn't alright at all! It's the complete opposite. Rachel is doing it again. She's stealing him. "It's fine daddy."

"I'll take you to get a big ice cream and you can have whatever you want on it," he tells her. "Just you and me." _And probably Rachel_, she thinks.

"Okay," she fakes a yawn, "I'm tired daddy. I should go to bed."

"I love you sweetheart. So, so much."

"I love you too daddy," she says, "goodnight."

"Sleep well baby. Will you put Uncle Kurt on for me?"

"Yes," her voice is quiet and she silently hands over the phone before rushing up to her room. She feels Uncle Kurt's and Blaine eyes on her the whole time.

* * *

><p>She hugs her friend Veronica tightly as they say their goodbyes. It's the weekend after Finn and Rachel's trip and, due to Finn's overwhelming guilt, she's been able to get nearly anything off her desperate father, including her first ever sleepover.<p>

He's always been sceptical about it, but he couldn't argue when she practically demanded it. And thankful, she's only seen Rachel for about half an hour over the full twenty four hours, which is all good. She's only caught a glimpse of her before she'd gone into her daddy's room and she'd made them breakfast that morning, then she'd gone shopping.

Just as she opens the door, Rachel steps in with a few bags in her hands. "Oh thanks," she smiles, walking straight past them into the kitchen.

Finn sits on the sofa, reading the paper with little interest.

"Thank you for letting me stay at your house Mr Hudson," Veronica says politely when she sees her mom pull up. She turns to Ellie, hugging her again, "says thanks to your mom for me too, okay?"

_Your mom._

It repeats itself over and over.

Mom. Mom. Mom.

She is bombarded by a mixture of emotions. First and foremost is anger.

She's had enough of this.

"She's _not_ my mom!" she almost screams, her stomach dropping when she sees Veronica's panic stricken face.

"Watch your tone!" Finn tells her immediately, his expression cross though she can see a little bit of hurt.

Veronica silently steps backwards out of the house, then mutters a quiet "see you tomorrow" and is getting in the car seconds later. No one notices as they stare at each other intensely. Finn is shocked: he's never heard her shout like that and it takes him by surprise.

Ellie is still seething inside. "But she isn't my mom," she repeats, her volume the same as before, "and I'm sick of people thinking that she is. And it's not fair." She stomps her foot, "she isn't!"

"You've made your point," he says with a stony expression.

"You lied!" she yells through teary eyes, "you promised me." She takes off the locket that he gave her for her birthday, "when you gave me this you said it will be just you and me forever, and you lied."

He stands up, trying to take a step toward her but she quickly retreats. "And now," she continues, "you love Rachel more than you love me! It's not fair."

"Ellie, I love you more than anything in the world," he tells her, looking heartbroken.

"She's taking you away from me!" she cries out, "and you're just letting her."

Finn shakes his head, "of course she isn't."

"You don't play with me anymore," she whimpers, "and whenever we go out you always take her too. We used to do everything together…_alone_."

"Things chan-"

"But I don't want them to change!" she screams, "I just want my daddy. A daddy who doesn't leave me alone for a full week. One that actually wants to spend time with me. One that loves me."

His eyes go wide. "Hey! Don't you ever say that I don't love you. You know that's not true."

She nods because she believes him. "Why do you love her more than me?"

"I don't."

"It's not the same anymore," she looks to the ground, "Rachel changed things. I don't like it."

"She's not to blame for this Ellie," he says softly.

She stomps her foot again to get his attention and throws down the locket too, stamping on that, "She is daddy!" her bottom lip quivers, "she's horrible and wicked and…and I hate her! She ruined everything."

He tries to come near her again but she shoots him a look and he stops dead in his tracks. "I hate her," she says again, "I hate her. I hate her. I hate her."

She doesn't know why she says it. She doesn't hate Rachel and she knows that she'll never be able to hate her. Ellie is just jealous of her: why does she get to spend so much time with Finn when she doesn't?

"Stop it!" he shouts at her for the first time ever.

Her mouth clamps shut and she lets the tears fall silently. She can't do this and she knows she can't. She doesn't want to argue with her daddy, to make him dislike her, but it has all just been kept concealed for so long that those feelings exploded.

Shaking her head, she runs upstairs leaving Finn wondering what the hell just happened.

He hears the kitchen door open and footsteps behind him.

"I-I should go."

He knows that she heard. Oh God, how could he let this happen?

"Rach," he starts, turning around to meet her sad face, "Plea-"

She shakes her head adamantly, "go and talk to Ellie. She's your daughter." She begins to walk away, "I'll call you, okay?" She quickly wipes at her eyes.

She's halfway out of the door when he says, "I'm sorry Rachel."

Her eyes meet his, "me too."

* * *

><p>Ellie sits in her room crying for what feels like hours. She's hurt her daddy and she feels terrible about it. She wants to go and apologize, but her legs feel like jelly and all her energy has gone into the tears.<p>

She reaches for her locket when she realizes that she broke it and then cries even harder.

A knock on the door startles her and she stares at it, unable to form any words.

Eventually, Finn walks in.

"Hey Ellie," he says softly, his face falling slightly when he sees her, "can I come in?"

She nods before burying her face in her pillow once more.

He's at her side in an instant, holding her close to him. "Shhh," he rubs her back, "don't cry." To be honest, he's never been so good at consoling her when she was like this and it still kinda freaks him out how she'd shouted. She is growing up so quickly.

"I'm sorry daddy," she mumbles into his shirt, which is no doubt covered in tears and snot.

"For what?" he asks.

She looks up at him with large, upset eyes, "for saying all those things. I didn't mean to hurt anyone."

"I know," he tells her, "of course you didn't." He sighs, "But I should be apologizing. Ellie, sweetie, I've been so stupid."

Ellie wipes her nose with her sleeve, sniffling loudly. "Why?"

Finn sets her down next to him, taking hold of her hand. "I never even spoke to you about my dating. Or how _you_ felt about it." When she doesn't speak, he continues, "and I should have. It was so easier when you were little because you didn't know what was going on but sometimes… I just forget how much you've grown. You have feelings and you understand so much more than you used to."

"I wanted to talk to you, but you were always with Rachel and then I told Uncle Kurt and he told me not to worry because you'd break up with her…but you _didn't_. He lied. He lied like you lied."

"I'm so, so sorry," he says again, his eyes brimming with fresh tears. Ellie has never seen her daddy cry in front of her before and it breaks her heart. "I did this all wrong."

She brings her knees up to her chest and hugs them tightly. In small voice, she asks, "what do you mean?"

"I…I didn't…" he searches for words, "I should have introduced you properly. I mean, I wasn't even there when you met her. And I just assumed that you were okay with everything when you aren't. Of course you aren't…" Finn shakes his head, "God, how did I mess up so bad?"

She can't give him an answer.

Finn drops his head in defeat, "will you ever forgive me?"

"Dadd-"she starts.

"No," he frowns, "I just completely ignored your feelings. I ignored _you_. You must hate me."

"I-I could never hate you."

He pulls her into a tight hug, squeezing her tiny body as if afraid that she'll pull away. "I love you so much Ellie. I'm going to make it up to you. First rule, communication. I want to know how you feel about _everything_. That's my problem. I don't talk to you about things. I just don't think about it 'cause I'm a guy and stuff, so it never really occurs to me, but you're _not_ a guy. And it's going to get harder the older you get."

She nods, though he can't see as she's leaning into her chest.

After a few minutes of silence, he speaks again.

"And honestly, I don't think that you're ready for me to be seeing someone else," he frowns, "and it would be unfair for me to force you into anything."

She nods, wishing that she could form sentences right now.

With a smile, he kisses her forehead lovingly, "I wished that I knew about how you felt sooner. Before…"

"Before what?"

He sighs, "Before I fell in love."

"Oh," she turns away guiltily.

"Hey, hey," he says, "don't blame yourself. It was me, all me. I was just so caught up in it all. I honestly didn't expect anything to come out of the first date."

"Really?" she asks quietly.

Finn nods, "love surprises you, but I guess you'll find that out when you're older." He's thoughtful for a few minutes before he peers down at her and gives a small smile, "anyway, are you okay?"

"Yes," she lies. She still feels so guilty, especially when she looks at Finn.

"And, who knows, maybe in a few years I'll be able to start dating again?" he kisses her cheek, "because you're more important to me than any woman on Earth, understand?"

"Yes," her voice is quiet.

"Good," he says instantly, "how about we go and play some basketball? Make up for lost time."

Ellie quickly agrees yet she can't help but feel like her daddy is trying to hide his own feelings. She should know: she's been doing it for months. His smiles don't always meet his eyes and he doesn't mention Rachel for the entire day.

* * *

><p>The days regress to what they had been before they'd met Rachel, although Finn sometimes still finds reasons not to play with her. Occasionally, she spies him sitting in the garden, sitting there for hours, and just thinking. His expression is always sad.<p>

When she asks him about it, he plants on a huge fake smile and distracts her with something. She doesn't like it one bit.

"Will you play basketball with me?" she asks, sitting on the couch next to him with the ball in her hands.

Finn snaps out of his silent mood and stares down at her. His eyes are tired and his whole appearance dishevelled. "Maybe later," he says so quietly she can barely hear it.

"Well then, how about you help me color?"

He shakes his head once more, "I'm not really in a coloring mood."

"Then we cou-"

"Ellie," he interrupts, "Sweetie, can I just have a little time to myself? Why don't you go and play with George next door?"

She nods, feeling the disappointment sink in quickly. "O-okay daddy. Love you."

It takes him a little longer to reply, "Love you too honey."

So she spends the majority of the day at her neighbors, trying to get rid of the nagging feeling in the back of her mind. She and George make mud castles in the back until Mrs Schuester almost has a heart attack from seeing them so dirty. George is immediately brought in and she sadly marches back into her own house.

It's quiet as she steps through the back door.

The living room is dark and she wonders how long she's spent next door. Looking down at herself, she notices her muddy knees and hands. Her dad will probably have to run a bath for her. She goes to find him, frowning when she sees him asleep on the sofa.

"Daddy," she says, walking up to him.

There are some empty bottles on the table beside him and a few crushed cans. With a deep frown setting in, she shakes his limp body, "daddy wake up."

He doesn't.

His breathing is heavy and she can smell something funny on his breathe.

"Daddy," her voice is tiny, scared. She pokes his chest repeatedly. "Stop pretending," she says, hoping that he's just playing a game with her.

He isn't.

She pushes him again, much harder, before shouting, "Wake up, wake up!" He just groans like he's in pain, but his eyes don't open.

She does this only thing that she can think of; she calls Uncle Kurt.

"Uncle Kurt," she cries into the line, "Daddy won't wake up. I told him to but he won't get up."

"What do you mean?" she can hear the fear in his voice.

Ellie chokes back the tears, "he's just lying on the couch and I can't wake him up and his breath smells really weird."

Uncle Kurt sighs loudly, "Ellie, honey. I know what your silly daddy's gone and done. I'm on my way now. You stay with him Ellie and you keep him safe, okay?"

She nods to herself, "okay."

"Everything's going to be fine," he reassures her before he hangs up.

When she opens the door for him just over five minutes later, he immediately wraps her up in his arms and she can see Blaine following him into the house. "I'm so, so sorry that you had to see this," he tells her, whispering, "you did the right thing by calling me."

He then passes her to Blaine and his face changes to one of fury. He storms into the kitchen, returning with a large bowl full of something. She flinches when he tips said bowl over the sleeping Finn and she then sees the water fly out, drenching her father and the couch.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Kurt seethes, taking hold of one of the empty bottles. "Drinking!" His voice is abnormally high, "you have a seven year old daughter!"

Finn, now that he's over the shock of the icy, cold water, at least has the decency to look ashamed of himself.

"Blaine," Kurt glances over to them, "go and put Ellie in the car. I'll be out in a few minutes." The man nods, taking away the scared child, so that she doesn't have to see Kurt smack Finn.

"Where are you taking her?" Finn asks, recoiling from his brother.

The man shakes his head, eyes narrowed, "to my house! You're in no state to be looking after a child. You can't even look after yourself. What if I hadn't been there to answer the phone? What if she'd had to call the ambulance service Finn?"

"I don't know!" he growls in frustration, "I didn't even realize I'd had so much!" He unsteadily stands up, "I just wanted to forget about it all and one drink turned into…" his body slumps, head in hands, "I'm such a failure. Ellie's going to think I'm the worst father ever."

Kurt has nothing to say to this, only raises his eyebrow.

Still thinking, Finn tries to explain his actions, "I'm just so depressed about this Rachel thing. It was all so perfect before…"

His brother looks at his sympathetically, "what's happened has happened Finn. You have a daughter that you need to take care of." He takes a step forward, placing his hand on Finn's shoulder, "I'll take her tonight and then you've got to step up to the mark again. You used to be so good with her. Don't let that change."

He begins to walks towards the door when hearts Finn call his name.

"Yes?"

"Tell Ellie that I love her," he says, "_please_."

Kurt nods, "I'll call you before I bring her back."

His face crumples, but he doesn't argue.

And then Kurt leaves.

* * *

><p>"Daddy's sad, isn't he?" Ellie asks as Uncle Kurt tucks her into bed.<p>

He sighs, sitting next to her on the mattress. "He's acting the way he is because he misses Rachel," he explains. She knows that Kurt's heard about what she'd said about Rachel and he's been very good at avoiding her altogether in conversation. "He's hurting right now."

"I know," she agrees with a small shrug, "why?"

"Because he loves her," Uncle Kurt replies with the smallest of smiles, "it's like he loves you and he misses you when you're not around."

"I don't think he does," she says quietly.

Uncle Kurt lets out a tiny gasp, "oh, of course he does. You're the most important thing in the world to him."

She hesitates, "he loves Rachel more than me."

"Is that what you really think?" he frowns, "is that why you said all those things about her? That you… hate her."

Ellie sighs, fidgeting with the sleeve of her shirt. "I don't hate Rachel," she finally says, "I just wanted daddy to spend more time with me. He was with her all the time. I thought that I was – "

"Losing him," Uncle Kurt finishes with a knowing smile.

"How did you know?" she stares up at him in awe.

He shifts on the bed to get a little more comfortable, "let me tell you a story."

"What about?" she asks curiously.

"Listen," he smiles, "and then maybe you'll understand." She nods and he begins without delay, "When I was growing up, it was just me and my dad. My mom died when I was a kid, so we only ever had each other and I adjusted to that. I _liked_ that. We did lots of things together and it was fun and we were _so_ close."

She frowns, "what happened?"

"Well, my dad met a woman." As he says it, she feels her stomach drop. "They hit it off straight away. They were just two lonely people who needed a bit of love." He wraps his arm around her, pulling her against him, "now, this woman had a son. I thought that it was going to be great because I liked him and we got along well enough."

"It wasn't, was it?" she mumbles.

"My dad started taking her son out to places. Football games. A camping trip. He even started letting him help with the mechanic store and that was something that only _I_ did for my dad. I started to get jealous of him and I hated that my dad liked to spend time with him so much."

This story sounds all too familiar for Ellie and she presses her face into Uncle Kurt, closing her eyes.

"_But_," Uncle Kurt begins, "I realized something. My daddy was happy. I mean, he'd always been happy enough with just the two of us, but he became happy and lively and he was always smiling. I understood that, by sharing him with these two people, it was making him happier. I just…I didn't want to have to share him because he'd always been _mine_."

She hears sniffling and looks up to see her Uncle Kurt crying. "And when I stopped letting the jealousy get to me," he ruffles her hair, "I became happier too, because I'd gained a brother and a mom. We were a family.

"I know _exactly_ how you feel," he looks straight into her eyes, "and it's horrible, that jealousy, because it doesn't make you realize how lucky you actually are, to have so many people love you. I used to just have my dad, but then suddenly two more people loved me."

He leans closer, "and can I tell you a secret?"

She nods slowly.

"Even if you didn't like Rachel that much, I think you should know that she loved you," he smiles, "I didn't believe it at first, but then I'd just see the way she looked at you. She really did." Uncle Kurt looks off into the distance before saying, "I remember when she and your dad were going to visit her dads and she begged and begged your dad to take you. She almost cried when he said no." He lets out a small laugh.

Thinking about it, Rachel was always so warm towards her. She just assumed that she was always like that.

"Why didn't my daddy take me?" she questions, hoping that Uncle Kurt would have the answer.

"I think that he, in his own stupid way, thought that he was protecting you. Maybe he didn't want you to feel like things were moving too fast," he says, "but it's clear that he did a bad job of that. He may have been overthinking it, which of course leads to a major problem for your dad.

"Anyway," Uncle Kurt says, "that doesn't matter now, does it? All that matters is keeping your daddy happy and you happy too."

Ellie nods again, wiping at her eyes to prevent any tears. "Can I tell _you_ a secret?"

"Of course," he smiles.

She takes a deep breathe, "I actually sort of liked Rachel." Ellie looks everywhere but at Uncle Kurt, "she was really nice and kind and pretty. When she came bowling with us, I fell over and dropped my drink on her and she asked me if _I_ was okay."

"So why," he pauses, "may I ask, did you get so upset with your dad that day? When Rachel called me she was a mess."

She feels so, so guilty and she wishes that it would all just go away. At least she can be honest with her Uncle Kurt. "I like Rachel," she states again, just so he knows, "but my friend thought that she was my mom and, I don't know why, but it upsets me when people think so. Well, not so much anymore, but…" She sighs and shakes her head, "I have a mom somewhere and I don't know how I'd feel replacing her."

"Ahh, I've been through this, too," he tells her.

It's making her feel better now that somebody understands.

"But I'm just going to give you the shortened version because it's going way over your bedtime."

"Okay," she gives him a small smile, letting it increase when he takes hold of her hand.

"Don't think that you're replacing your mom. Mom isn't the name of the woman who gave birth to you. It's the name that you call the woman who loves you unconditionally, whether you're their child or not. And you know what; you can always have more than one mom in your life."

She's thoughtful for a second, "do you think that Rachel would have made a good mom?"

Uncle Kurt tenses up a little, but he answers nonetheless. "Yes, I think she would have."

As she thinks about it more, she realizes that Uncle Kurt is probably right. He's pretty much always right.

"Anyway," he smiles, "time for bed."

He kisses her goodnight and tucks the cover up to her neck. "Night," she says, plucking up the courage to ask one more question, "do you think there's still a chance that my daddy and Rachel will date again?"

"You did hurt her very much with what you said," he says honestly and all she can do is nod because she _knows_ that she did. Rachel is the type of person that gets overemotional about these types of things. "But it may work itself out," he carries on, "after all, he was going to ask her to marry him."

"He was?" she asks, not sure whether the news saddens her or not.

Uncle Kurt nods, "but only time can tell sweetie. We'll be there for him though, won't we?"

"Yes," she says indefinitely, "of course."

"Sweet dreams Ellie," he switches off the light and closes the door.

Her head is swimming with new information, especially her newfound sympathy for Rachel. Or maybe it's been there for a while…

Anyway, she knows what she has to do.

She has to make her daddy happy again and the only way to do that is to get Rachel to come back so that he can purpose.

She falls asleep thinking of ways to do exactly that.

* * *

><p>The ride to the theatre in nerve-wrecking as Ellie tries to calm down her racing heartbeat. She doesn't know what she's going to say to Rachel, but she is almost positive that there should be an apology somewhere in their conversation.<p>

She peers to her Uncle Kurt, who is surprisingly calm. It was surprisingly easy to convince him to bring her and she was so thankful that Rachel had sent him tickets to her newest show, that of which they were going to see before they talked to her, or Ellie did.

"I'm scared," she admits to him, in hope that he can offer her some more advice.

His face softens and he glances in her direction. "I know, but you'll have time to get rid of those nerves during the entire show. Maybe you'll feel better when you see Rachel."

Yeah, maybe she will.

* * *

><p>She certainly does <em>not<em> feel better. As soon as she recognizes Rachel, will a little help from her Uncle Kurt, the guilt overwhelms her and she sinks in her seat, hoping that the woman doesn't notice her there.

Uncle Kurt takes hold of her hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze, then returns to being absorbed in the show.

By the second half, she's relaxed enough to enjoy it too and she'd be lying if she says that she isn't impressed by Rachel. It's strange to see her in a different environment, one _without_ her daddy, but she just seems to shine so brightly on the stage. She's in her element.

She finds herself joining the crowd as they give the actors and actresses a standing ovation.

"That was amazing!" Uncle Kurt is buzzing from the performance, holding the playbill to his chest tightly, as if he's almost forgotten what they have to do.

She tugs at his hand when he begins towards the exit and his face drops before he nods. "Right, we have to go to find Rachel," he says, "_if_ they let us anywhere near her dressing room."

Ellie eyes the security guards glumly. They _may_ be a problem.

"We need a distraction," she announces, "if _you_ can distract them, then _I_ can sneak past and go to Rachel."

He eyes her warily, "what exactly do you have in mind?"

* * *

><p>"I am <em>not<em> going to flirt with him!" he huffs, giving her an incredulous stare.

"I didn't say that" I said to go and talk to him. You said flirt! What does that even mean?" she demands to know.

"I'm not telling you and there's _got_ to be another way to get past them," he says, crossing his arms. Normally, she knows not to argue with him when he gets like this, but she's desperate. _Beyond_ desperate actually.

Luckily for them, a commotion outside means that the two guards a momentarily distracted and they hurry down the corridor before they can be seen.

Uncle Kurt grins, "Breaking into theatres. My favourite past time."

"What?" she frowns.

"Oh honey," he says, "I'll tell you when you're older. Now hurry up."

"But we don't know where we're going?"

"Of course we do," he rolls his eyes, "we're looking for a door that says Rachel Berry." He glances around, his hands on his hips.

As they talk, a woman walks by, obviously having heard their conversation, "You're looking for Rachel Berry?" she questions and the two nod.

"I'm Ellie," she says, in hopes that the name means something to her. Thankfully, her face lights up.

"Ellie!" she grins," of course and, are you Finn? I must say, you don't really look like Rachel described."

He frowns, "I'm his brother"

"Oh, Kirk…Ku-"

"Kurt, yes," he deadpans and Ellie nudges him for his tone.

The woman doesn't seem to notice, "Her dressing room is just down that hallway." She points to the left, "it should be pretty easy to find."

They thank her and are on their way again. Ellie hears Rachel's voice before she sees her, and she can't help but smile at how pretty it is. The door has 'Rachel Berry' on in bright gold letters, accompanied by a gold star underneath.

Ellie lifts her hand up to knock and freezes. "I can't do this," she says, looking to her Uncle Kurt for support.

Before she can do anything, he knocks for her, sending a grin in reply to her glare.

"Come in," she hears Rachel say and all the nerves return with a vengeance. Her hands feel sweaty while she feels dizzy and her heart is beating wildly. Uncle Kurt, of course, takes this as the perfect time to go autograph hunting.

"Is that 'Glinda'?" he almost screams, running off down the hallway.

With a deep breath, Ellie takes the door handle and slowly opens the door, instantly being overwhelmed by the smell of Rachel's perfume. She actually coughs a few times, causing the diva to spin on the spot from her mirror and stare in shock.

"_Ellie_?" she gaps, "what are you doing here? Are you by yourself? Is everything okay? You're not hurt, are you?" She walks over, her eyes scanning the little girl for serious injuries, although the only problem is that she's overwhelmed by the amount of questions.

She takes a minute to compose herself and eventually replies to the panicked woman. "I'm fine," she says, adding a bright smile that she doesn't feel was quite right.

Rachel noticeably tenses. "Are you here all alone?" she repeats, looking outside for anyone. "Because you're only seven and that's very dangerous and irresponsible an-"

"I'm here with Uncle Kurt," she cuts her across before Rachel gives herself a heart attack.

The brunette nods, before taking a step back. She crosses her hands across her chest and observes Ellie. "I assume that there's a reason you're here, especially after what you had to say about me."

She tears her gaze from the floor to look straight into Rachel's deep brown eyes. "I came to apologize. I-I was being stupid when I said those things." She smiles slightly, "and I don't hate you." Unable to think of what to say next, she goes to sit down on the couch at the far wall. Though she's staring in the opposite direction, she knows that Rachel has sat next to her as it shifts under her weight.

"You don't?" she asks, sounding a little hopeful.

Ellie shakes her head, "not at all." She then sighs, "I was jealous of you."

When she finally turns to Rachel again, she sees understanding on the woman's face and feels a little better than before, though her palms are still really sweaty.

"I've never had someone be jealous of me before," she admits, "and strangely enough it doesn't offer the satisfaction that I thought it would." She catches Ellie's stare, "sorry, I know that this is hard for you. Communication, I mean. You get that from your dad."

"I know," she says a little shyly.

Her features are thoughtful for a moment, "why were you jealous?"

"Because," she mumbles, shifting away again, "I… well, to be honest, most of the time I was just jealous that you got to spend more time with him than me. I mean, before you came, it was always just the two of us." She shrugs, "even when he did have dates, they never changed anything. I guess I didn't like it when things started to change."

Rachel nods and Ellie's glad that she's not being bitter about any of this. She's shocked when she feels Rachel's hand on hers, but she doesn't pull away either.

"Ellie, let me tell you something," she catches her full attention, "there is no way that your daddy could possibly love any girl more than he does you. I've only known him for seven months and even _I_ know that. There is nothing for you to be jealous about."

She feels the tears again, threatening to fall. Why does this always happen when she talks about her feelings and stuff?

It isn't long before Rachel notices because she feels herself pulled onto her lap and it's sort of comfortable, especially with her head pressed against her chest. This is different from hugs from Uncle Kurt or her daddy. It's _special._

"Let it all out sweetie," she says, running a hand through her hair.

"My daddy misses you," Ellie mumbles into Rachel's robe, "he's really sad without you."

It takes Rachel a while to answer, "I'm sad without him, too."

"Then you have to be with him!"

She pulls back, "What?"

"You have to call my daddy right now and tell him that you want to be together," she explains, her eyes desperate.

"Ellie, your daddy cares about what you think more than anything else and you aren't happy when we're together," she looks sad, "and he only wants you to be happy."

"Well, I'm not happy right now," she huffs and Rachel cracks a smile at her dramatics. "He loves you!" she cries.

Rachel laughs softly, "I know sweetie, but it's not always about what we want. There's _you_ to think of, isn't there?"

She's beginning to get desperate. Thankfully, she's not above begging. "Please Rachel, come back, for the both of us. I-I want you there too. The food you cook is actually nice and doesn't make me feel ill and your voice is really pretty and you make the house really nice and you're just really nice."

"So, I'm not horrible and wicked?" she chuckles.

Ellie grows red in the face. "Rachel, I'm really, really sorry. I just…didn't want to share my daddy with anyone, but that's not true anymore because I want to share him with _you_. You make him really happy."

Rachel seems to be debating with herself, "but what about you? He's first and foremost _your_ dad. Are you okay with me dating him?"

"Yes!" she shouts emphatically

She looks unsure, "promise?"

"Promise," Ellie grins. She decides now that she really likes Rachel. She does seem to actually care about her, which is more than could be said for some of Finn's previous partners.

"Come on," she jumps up, tugging on Rachel's arm.

"Wait," she panics, "I have to get dressed and do my make-up… and I need something to make up for not calling him for the last few weeks."

"He likes food," she says helpfully.

Rachel's smile grows, "I'll make my famous sugar cookies!"

"Can I help?" she doesn't realize what she said until she's actually spoken the words and she blushes at her own forwardness.

The brunette smiles fondly, "of course you can. Let me just get changed and then we'll go to my apartment. How about you go and find Kurt?"

She nods, hoping that he hasn't gone too far. Before she leaves, she looks Rachel up and down, reaching forward and tightly hugging onto her. "Thank you, I really am sorry about everything," she mumbles.

Rachel smiles fondly, "I get it. You're a daddy's girl. So am I. And I have _two_ dads. I'm about as extreme as they get."

With a grin, Ellie hugs her once more and exits.

By the time Rachel registers what happened, Ellie is already out of the room.

* * *

><p>It's already dark when Uncle Kurt's car pulls outside of their house. Ellie is the first one out, excitedly running up the garden path with the box of "I'm sorry" cookies in her hands. Rachel and Uncle Kurt follow closely behind, smiling at the little girl.<p>

Finn opens the door before she can and lifts her up into his arms quickly, "ahh! I missed you." He peppers her face with kisses, "I'm sorry about yesterday Ku-"

He stops when he sees Rachel and continues to gape at her.

But she marches right up to him and smacks his arm so hard that he winces, "ow! What was that for?"

"Kurt told me that you were drinking with Ellie in the house!" she says, clearly annoyed, "and I don't think that I even need to explain to you how wrong that was. I hope that you've apologized and intend to make it up to your daughter because I never thought that _you_ of all people would do that."

"I-I," his eyes are wide but no more words come out.

Eventually, Rachel sighs, "I'm sorry. I know it's not my place but it really upset me hearing that. What happened?"

Finn looks guiltier than ever before, "I feel terrible about it Rach."

"And so you should!" she smacks his arm again but this time he doesn't say anything. When Rachel's a little calmer, she says, "let's go inside to talk."

"Are you going to hit me again?"

She shakes her head.

Not being able to do much else, he just nods. When they all occupy the couches, she takes the cookies from Ellie and thrusts them into his hands, "we made them for you."

"We?" he asks.

"Ellie and I," she says.

He frowns, looking from one to the other, "I don't understand. Ellie I thought that you didn't li- err…enjoy Rachel's company that much."

She crosses her arms and rolls her eyes, "that's all in the past daddy. Me and Rachel are friends now. We bonded over baking cookies." Rachel nods along.

"And we had a big heart to heart before," she smiles, "I personally feel enlightened."

"W-what did you talk about?"

"Our relationship," Rachel clears up, motioning to her and Finn, "and Ellie has given us her blessing." She laughs as she finishes the sentence.

Finn turns to her in shock and hope. "Really? Because, Ellie, I don't want any of this to upset you. I care about all your feelings and stuff."

From where she's sitting, she wraps her small arms around him, "daddy, I'll be really happy if you and Rachel start to date again. Anyway, she said that she'll teach me how to bake. Isn't that cool?" As his daughter hugs him, he looks to Rachel, who is smiling right back at him.

The moment is perfect and he feels whole again for the first time in weeks.

"Daddy, are you going to ask her yet?" Ellie tries to whisper, tries being the operative word. Uncle Kurt's eyes bulge and he shakes his head at Ellie.

Finn frowns in confusion, "Ask her what?"

She leans up, talking into his ear. "To marry you."

Uncle Kurt's head falls into his hand as he sighs while Finn freezes and Rachel's mouth falls open in shock. Finn's sends a glare to Uncle Kurt, who is trying his best to avoid it.

Rachel is struggling to find any words at this point.

"Did I say something wrong?" Ellie frowns. "Uncle Kurt said that you were going to ask her…" She looks over to him for confirmation and he's doing a pretty good job of sinking lower and lower into his seat in hope of not being noticed.

"Y-you were?" Rachel is staring at Finn as if he's just grown another head.

Ellie feels his tense up under her arms. "Well, I-I was thinking… I got a ring and- yes."

Rachel nods, though a smile is slowing melting onto her face, along with a faint blush. She bites her lips nervously as she looks into Finn's eyes.

A little impatiently, Ellie huffs, "just do it already!"

He stares down at his daughter before smiling. He can do this and now there's nothing stopping him. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the dark velvet box (he's been carrying it on his person for weeks.)

A little wobbly, he kneels down in front of Rachel, who covers her mouth with her hand and has her eyes brimming with tears.

"Rach," he clears his throat, "I…we've only known each other for a short time, b-but I love you so, so much and I would be the happiest man in the world if you'd be my wife. So, "he takes a big breath, opening the box to reveal the engagement ring, "Rachel Berry, will you marry me?"

She doesn't speak; she can't speak. So she nods her head quickly, feeling the fresh tears fall. This is by far the best day of her life.

"Really?" Finn asks, as if surprised that she said yes.

Her voice is shaky as she speaks, "really." She nods again. Finn lunges forward, catching her lips in a deep kiss. She wraps her arms around his neck, pulling his closer to her.

When they pull apart for air, Finn goes to put the ring on her. Both their hands are trembling and he almost drops it, but they succeed in the end.

"I love you," she grins wildly, her forehead pressing again his as they share a moment. They're holding hands and laughing and smiling, and Ellie's glad to see her daddy happy once more.

* * *

><p>"Right, bedtime for you," Finn says, noticing that Ellie is already half asleep anyway and she only mumbles a few incoherent words. He slowly picks her up, her arms lifelessly dangling by her side.<p>

"Goodnight," Rachel smiles from her spot on the couch.

Ellie takes a few seconds to absorb what she said before yawning, "night Rachel." She closes her eyes as Finn takes her upstairs and she's thankful that she's already brushed her teeth for the night because she does not have enough energy to even stand up. Gently, he places her on the bed and pulls the cover up, tucking it around her sides.

"I know that you're about to pass out," he laughs lightly, "but I just wanted to say thank you for talking with Rachel. That was a very grown up and nice thing of you to do and… I'm really proud and happy that you did it."

"I just wanted you to be happy," she mumbles.

"I am," Finn says, "because I have the most special daughter in the entire world."

Ellie smiles at his words, her eyes open sleepily. "And I have the best daddy."

He leans down to kiss her forehead and he rubs her arm affectionately. "You still think that? After what I did?"

"Uncle Kurt said that you were hurting," she explains, "and when people hurt they do stupid things."

"I really am sorry."

"I know," she says with more seriousness than a child of her age should have. "But you can buy me an ice cream after school if you like, to make it up to me."

He laughs, "I think it will take more than just _one_ ice cream to make it up to you." He hugs her again, "but I will. And I'm sure that Rachel will keep me in line."

Ellie nods with a giggle, remembering Finn's face as the tiny woman repeatedly hit him.

She yawns, "I think she's very good at that daddy. She's good at lots of things." With a soft smile, she adds, "Uncle Kurt took me to see the play she was in."

"Oh?" he says, "and was it good?"

"It was awesome," she grins, "we should watch some more. Uncle Kurt got excited and said that he'll take me to see some. Isn't that good?"

"Yup," he agrees, "now he'll stop begging me to go."

"Why did he never take me before?"

"He didn't think that you'd enjoy it. Do you remember when he tried to make you watch _the sound of music_ but you started screaming because you just wanted to play outside?"

She blushes, "oh yeah."

"Anyway, I'm sure that he'll be whisking you away to watch every imaginable production out there now that you've shown an interest," he grins. He looks to the clock on her wall, "right, time to go to sleep."

"But I don't want to," she whines.

"It's almost ten. You should have been asleep hours ago."

She frowns, "okay daddy. Goodnight."

Finn grins, "Night princess."

She smiles, turning onto her side and pressing her face into the pillow. Finn laughs lightly before leaving the room.

* * *

><p>The wedding plans get underway immediately, with both Finn and Rachel insisting that they want it as soon as possible. This kind of makes Uncle Kurt, the esteemed wedding planner, a bit cranky.<p>

"I don't understand why you don't want a nice fall wedding. Why do you want it in April?" he demands to know, "what if it rains?" They're sitting at the kitchen table, Ellie in the middle of the adults working on her homework, her tongue stuck out in concentration

"We're having the wedding _inside_," Finn sighs loudly, "it doesn't matter if it's raining."

This earns a defiant glare from Uncle Kurt, who throws his hands up in exasperation, "fine, fine. You can have your wedding in April if you want."

"Oh thanks," Rachel says sarcastically, "how kind of you Kurt."

He simply waves off her comment and continues writing notes down quickly. "Are you having a ring bearer?" he asks, still looking at the sheet.

The share an glance before Finn shrugs, "I just thought that you'd carry the rings in your pocket or something."

"How romantic," Uncle Kurt mutters under his breath and Blaine nudges him lightly, though he is clearly amused.

Ellie giggles at the two, though quickly looks back at her work when she catches Finn glaring at her. "Come on Ellie, your homework's due tomorrow."

"I don't get it!" she grumbles, "You make fractions confusing daddy. It makes my head hurt."

She catches Rachel glimpsing at the page and, before she can say anything, she's explaining it to her through drawings, which actually kind of works. "Does that make it easier?" Rachel asks with hopeful eyes.

Smiling, she takes her pencil back. "Yeah, thanks." Rachel beams, before offering to check through her answers later as well.

* * *

><p>Ellie rolls her eyes as the woman goes on and on about the house. Why can't she let them just look around already? She catches Finn's eye and he makes an expression that causes her to giggle, which she quickly covers up.<p>

This is the last house that they're looking at for the day. A four bedroomed house with the biggest garden Ellie has ever seen.

Eventually Rachel says the words that they all want to hear. "This tour is lovely but do you mind if we just look around ourselves?" While the woman tries to babble a response, Rachel grins and grabs both of their hand before leading them up the stairs, "thank you!"

They go through the first door, finding the master bedroom.

"This is nice," Finn says, walking around and then he notices that large flat screen TV on the wall, "I definitely like this one."

Rachel chuckles, "you're such a guy." Then her eyes wander, "Oh, it's got a walk in wardrobe!"

The second bedroom is another double bedroom, the large bed central. "This would be the guest room, right?" Rachel questions, "For when any of our parents come."

"Yeah," he agrees, "my mom would love the view."

And then they come to an all pink room and Ellie's pretty sure that Rachel squeals form excitement. "This is so cute!" the woman grins, "what do you think, Ellie?"

The little girl glances around, getting a feel for the room. It's definitely a lot bigger than her old one and she does like the color… "It's good," she smiles, "I like it."

After they've gone past the bathroom, they arrive at the fourth room. It's a little smaller than the previous one, but still big enough to squeeze a double bed into. The walls are off white and the carpet is pretty similar.

"A little bit of decorating and it'll be perfect," Finn says, wrapping his arm around Rachel.

Ellie frowns, "perfect for what daddy?"

He pats her head gently, "you'll see sweetie."

* * *

><p>A month later and they've moved into the new house. It doesn't take Ellie long to fall in love with her room. Her daddy lets her paint it whatever color she wants, which ends up being a soft yellow and she even gets her own new bed. It's almost twice the size as her other one and she covers it with her large collection of stuffed animals.<p>

Rachel buys her a cat teddy which is white and fluffy, and is really nice to hug. She calls it Star for Rachel and puts it on her pillow.

* * *

><p>She jumps as more thunder strikes, feeling as though it shakes her whole room furiously. Cowering under her cover, she can still see the flash of lightening as it hits and she clings to some of her stuffed animals.<p>

It happens again, this time louder and she shrieks to herself. She doesn't like being scared by storms. She knows that she's supposed to be grown up, but that doesn't stop it from happening. Grabbing her nearest stuffed animal, which happens to be a monkey, she climbs out of bed and creeps down the hallway to the master bedroom.

All she can hear is her daddy's loud snores so she assumes that they're both asleep. They hopefully won't notice if she gets into the bed with them. She'll be safe there, she's sure of it.

But she soon realizes that she isn't the only one awake in the house.

As she steps into the room, she sees Finn sprawled out across the bed, tangled in the covers and then she notices Rachel in the chair by the window, her eyes stuck on the view outside. Another flash appears and the woman winces, closing her eyes.

The floorboard creaks and her head snaps over to Ellie. She smiles at her and gestures for her to come over. Ellie does so, crawling into Rachel's lap. "You scared of the storm too, huh?" she asks.

"Yeah," Ellie's voice is barely there. Rachel locks her arms around her, hugging her against her warm chest. "Wait, you're scared? I thought that adults didn't get scared."

"Everyone gets scared," she confesses, then sighs, "I've always hated thunderstorms. When I was little, my daddies would sit with me for what felt like hours. They'd hold my hands and hug me close and wait until I fell asleep."

She nuzzles her face into Rachel's neck as the thunder erupts once more and she can get a small whiff of Rachel's soft perfume.

She hears Rachel begin to sing and she can't even concentrate on the words as her voice lulls her into a drowsy state. Her eyes slowly close and her breathing slows until she falls into a sleep once more. It's strange how quickly it happens, but she's not complaining.

It's safe and comfortable in Rachel's arms, too.

* * *

><p>Ellie smiles as she looks at herself in the mirror. Her hair has been gently curled and her Grammy put it a yellow headband, one which matches her yellow dress. She even put a bit of makeup on her, but made her promise not to tell her daddy.<p>

"Do I look okay?" she asks her, adding in a twirl.

"Oh honey, you look wonderful," she pulls her into a tight hug.

She smiles eagerly when Carole stands up again. "Can we go and see Rachel now?"

"Yeah," she held out her hand, "let's go and see if she's ready."

When they reach the door and knock on it a few times, Uncle Kurt opens. "Ah, ladies," he smiles, before his eyes drop down to Ellie, "well, look at you. You look so grown up!"

"Do you think I'll be a good flower girl?" she questions.

"Of course!" he exclaims, ushering her into the room, Carole following close behind. She sees Rachel stood in front of the mirror and halts in her tracks.

Her hair is up, a few loose curls of hair framing her face which has been subtly highlighted with make-up. But it's her dress that catches her attention. It's white and simple, showing off her curves perfectly before running into a small train, one which is sparkling with the tiny gem stone patterns that Uncle Kurt designed himself.

Rachel beams down at her. "Oh, you look so beautiful."

She's still gaping at Rachel. "Rachel," she says softly, "you look like an angel."

"Thank you," she replies, "that means a lot to me." Leaning down, she wraps her arms around Ellie and hugs her gently, her warmth radiating to the little girl.

There's another knock at the door and in comes Blaine. He has a similar reaction to Ellie. "Wow, Rachel…wow." She smiles modestly as she wrings her hands together nervously. Blaine smiles, "We're all ready for you in there."

"Okay," she nods, taking a deep breath, "oh, I'm so nervous!"

"Don't be princess," Uncle Kurt opens a box before pulling out a veil and delicately placing it on her head, "you look perfect." Rachel hugs him tightly, her eyes closed. She does the same with all the people in the room and then follows Blaine down the hall.

As they do so, she holds on Ellie's hand tightly.

Once they're outside the room they meet Rachel's dads, who almost break down crying when they see her. They take their place on either side of her, smiling proudly. Carole slips into the room, not before kissing Rachel on the cheek and offering her good luck.

The music starts up, the bridesmaids and best men walking out first.

Then it's Ellie's turn. Gripping the basket of petals in her hands, she begins to walk.

* * *

><p>The party is in full swing and hardly any time has passed at all. Ellie dances with her Uncle Kurt and Blaine for a while until her dad finds her, hoisting her up in his arms. "Hey Ellie, my little girl!"<p>

"I'm a big girl today," she says, leaning against him, "Uncle Kurt called me grown up."

"Well, you'll always be my little girl," he says, "do you wanna dance?"

"Will you stand on my feet?" she giggles, remembering how clumsy he can be.

He frowns, "good point. How about we get something to eat? You can never fail with food." With a grin, she skips after him to the buffet table where he piles his plate with food. Just as he's getting another sandwich, Rachel's voice stops him in his tracks.

"Really Finn? You're going to eat that much?"

He shoots a panicked look to Ellie before putting on a huge smile and spinning around to her. "Hey beautiful."

"Don't hey beautiful me. Finn, you're going to be sick if you eat that much. At least save some room for the cake."

"I am," he defends himself, "that's why I'm only having one plateful instead of three."

She rolls her eyes, though still wraps her arms around him and pulls him down for a kiss. "Don't go blaming me when you're sick."

He slides his arm around her waist, bringing her closer. "I won't be. Don't worry Rach."

Sighing, she says, "Finn, please? I'll make it up for you." She gazes up at him with intense eyes and he suddenly wears a goofy smile.

"Oh yeah…okay," he puts down the plate, only taking off a sandwich and Rachel beams. "Rach, are we gonna tell everyone that news yet? You know, before they get drunk and everything?"

"Good idea," she says, eyeing some of the relatives who've already got a bit tipsy. Tugging on her hand, she pulls him up onto the stage. Ellie grins as he almost trips over his own feet though Rachel is there to set him straight again.

Behind Ellie, her Grammy appears, taking hold of her shoulder. "Are you having fun angel?"

"Yes," she says, stuffing some food into her mouth.

On the stage, Finn taps the microphone. "Is this thing on? Oh look, it is," he smiles at Rachel who grins in reply. Everyone's attention slowly falls on them until the room is silent. "Hi guys," Finn starts, "we, as in me and my wife, would like to thank all of you for coming, especially those who came a long way. We really appreciate it! We're not going to talk for long because we want you all to enjoy yourselves…" The crowd cheers, holding up their wine glasses, "but we have some news…"

A few people murmur amongst themselves but Rachel eagerly leans forward to say it.

"I'm pregnant."

The room erupts into another cheer and Finn and Rachel make a quick exit from the stage before Carole drags Finn away to ask why she didn't know sooner. She also sees the shocked expressions of Rachel's dads – who had told her to call them granddad and Papa, though she doesn't remember which one is which…

Ellie stands a little awkwardly on her own, looking for somebody that she knows. She sees Rachel smiling at her and the older woman motions for her to go over while holding out her hand. "Come on," she says, "I want to talk to you."

She leads her out of the party room and into a smaller place, both of them sitting down facing each other.

Rachel stares at her for a few minutes and then says, "You really do look very pretty."

Ellie smiles, "what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh," she replies quickly, "I wanted to know how you felt…about the baby. I know that Finn told you, but I just wanted to make sure that you were okay with it."

"I'm fine with it, really."

Rachel doesn't look convinced.

"I've always wanted a little brother or sister," she confesses, "and now I'm getting one."

"You're sure that you're fine? I don't want you to feel like your dad's replacing you or something," she frowns.

"You worry too much," she laughs and Rachel eventually breaks through her panicked face to show a smile.

She takes a deep breath, "I'm sorry. It's in my nature."

Ellie shrugs, "it's nice…that you care so much about other people's feelings. I'm glad that my dad married you and not some evil step-mom like in _Cinderella_."

She laughs, "I'm glad too."

"Rachel?"

"Hmm?" she smiles.

There's a long pause, "what's it like? You know…having a mom?"

"I don't know," she tells her honestly, "two dads, remember?"

"Oh."

All of a sudden, Rachel becomes much more serious. "I don't exactly know what I'm doing. As you know, this is all new for me, but I promise you, I will do everything I can to make sure that you're happy and loved and safe, okay? I may not know how to be a mom, but I'm going to try my hardest. You'll help me, right?"

"Yeah," she nods, "thank you."

Rachel grins, "What do you say we get back to the party then?"

"Okay!" she jumps up, instantly reaching for Rachel's hand. As they walk through the hall, she says, "You know, now that you and daddy are married, I should starting calling you mom."

"Oh," her smile falters, "you can call me whatever you feel comfortable with sweetie."

She grins, "whatever you say, _mom_."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there's the end. I hoped that you liked it!<strong>

**Your thoughts? Please review :)**


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